Fruit picker



April 6, 1929. A. F. BRITTAIN I 1,709,655

FRUIT PICKER Filed May 10, 1924 WITNESS: ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16,1929. I f

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

Application filed May 10, 1924. Serial No. 712,389.

My present invention has reference to a mouth has its ends twistedaround the corfruit picker, and is especially designed, but ner strands1 as well as around the upper 5 not necessarily restricted to use, as apicker lateral strand7, and the ends of the strands of citrus fruits. 9are extended outwardly to provide trun- 5 My object is to produce adevice for this nions 10 which pass through bearing openpurposecharacteristic of simplicity 1n conings in the parallel arms 11 and 12of a sul struction, cheapness in manufacture and stantially U-shapedplate. The body memease in operation. ber of the plate is indicated bythe numeral lVith the above recited objects in view and 13, and the samehas its upper edge inte- 10 others which will appear as the nature ofgrally formed with spaced fingers 14. The the invention is betterunderstood, reference fingers have their edges bent outwardly to is tobe had to the drawings which accomreinforce the same and if desired, thesaid pany and which form part of this applicafingers may be providedwith cutting elevti ments. v 15 In the drawings v The arm 11 of thefinger carrying plate is Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fruit of agreater length than the arm 12 and has picker in accordance with thisinvention. secured to its outer end a pull cable 15. he Figure 2 is arear elevation thereof. body 13 of the finger carrying plate has Figure3 is a sectional view approximately attached thereto one end of a coiledspring 20 on the line 33 of Figure 2, showing the 16, the oppositeendbeing arranged around fingers of the device swung over the fruit thelower lateral strand 7, and if desired receiving and directing cage.embedded in the flat face 2 of the pole 1. Figure 4 is a View of theimprovement All of the longitudinal strands of the cage with theflexible directing chute removed have their lower ends rounded inwardlyand 25 therefrom and with the ring member holdare bent upon themselvesto provide hooks ing the hooked lower arms of the cage 17. These hooksare adapted to be passed proper spaced relation. through a flexiblechute 18 when the picked The pole is indicated in the drawings by fruitis to be directed a distance below the the numeral 1 and is preferablyround in cage. When the fruit to be picked is close to cross section.The pole adjacent to its upper the ground, there is arranged around theend has its outer face reduced and flattened. hooks 17 a ring member 19which prevents The upper end of the pole is, for distinction therounded'lower ends of the cage spreadindicated by the numeral 2 and thesame has 111g. Either attached to the ring or to corattached thereto awire cage, broadly indim n 0f the hOOkS 17t 1 16 is a basket or likecated by the numeral 3. The cage is conreceptacle for receiving thefruit. structed to provide a rear flat portion and It 18 believed thatthe foregoing descripan outer rounded portion. A strand 5 of tion,avhen' taken in connection with the suitable wire is centrally archedand extendl W HgS, Will fully, Set forth the construced to provide theparallel rear portions 4 tlOIl, operation and advantages of my im- 40 ofthe cage. Longitudinal strands, parallel prqv ni nt [0 those skilled inthe art to with the strands 4, connect the said arched WlllCh suchInventions relate. portion 5, while lateral strands 6 are se- Hfl g escbed the invention, I cured to all of the longitudinal strands. 0131111The cage is thus provided with an open fl'ult Picker lllcludlng' Wife geCommouth. The strands 4 are connected by P a Strand Of'wire centrallyarched transverse t d 7 hi h are f a greater with the ends extended inparallel relation gauge than the lateral st a d d h t to form the rearstrand portion of the cage, wire members 8 have their ends twistedlongitudinal strands parallel with the first around the said strands 7,the said short strands, horizontal strands secured to all ofstrandsbeing arranged around the pole 5 the longitudinal strands,v theuppermost and hold the strands 7 against theflat face horizontal strandhaving its ends twisted 2 of the pole. around the first strands andextended lat- The' lateral or body strand 9 nearest the orally inopposite directions tgf trunnions, a body plate having a lateral shortarm and a second arm longer than the first mentioned arm extendingtherefrom and pivotally mounted upon said trunnions a pull 5 elementattached to the outer end of the long arm, spaced fingers projectingfrom the plate at substantially right-angles to the said arms, springmeans for normally holding the fingers in position away from the cageand the lower extremities of said longitudinal strands being bent uponthemselves to form hooks and a ring engaged with the longitudinalstrands at the junction of said strands with the hook.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALEXANDER F. BRITTAIN.

